Tony Abbott's Coalition government has maintained a narrow lead over the Labor opposition despite a spate of high-profile job losses in the past month, talk of a Medicare co-payment, a tough budget approaching and the decision to deny a credit guarantee to Qantas.

Government clings to poll lead

The government is having some success at selling its tough economic message, according to the latest Nielsen/Fairfax opinion polling.

The outcome is likely to put further steel in the government's resolve to pursue policies previously thought to be unpopular yet necessary to help balance the budget and to establish new limits on the responsibilities of government vis-a-vis the private sector.

An Age/Nielsen poll taken over the same weekend in which voters in Tasmania and South Australia went to the ballot boxes, has revealed 51 per cent of voters support the government compared with 49 per cent opting for Labor.

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Underpinning that result was a strong Coalition lead on primary voting intention at 44/35, although that was a 2-point improvement on the 33 per cent result Labor recorded in February. The Greens secured 12 per cent of the primary vote.

Pollster John Stirton said the results showed the government might struggle were an election held now.

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''What all recent polling has made clear is that an election held now would be much closer than it was last year and that there has been a swing against the government since the election,'' he said.

The poll goes further, revealing 52 per cent of voters would support a Medicare means test to limit bulk billing only to those who need it.

Another 49 per cent back the co-payment idea, and half of voters agree the government should act to curb the cost of Medicare.

The Tasmanian election confirmed voters have turned to the conservative side of politics in sufficient numbers to easily end the 16-year reign of Labor in the Apple Isle. But a bungled marginal seat campaign by the state Liberals in SOuth Australia looks to have failed to unseat the 12-year old Labor government there, despite the Liberals winning 53 per cent of the two-party vote.

With a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 per cent, the 51/49 result in favour of the government in the Age/Nielsen poll represents a statistically insignificant change from last month's survey.

The March 13-15 poll of 977 people suggested voters nationally may have accepted Mr Abbott's oft-stated line that the country is under new management, after a period of post-election volatility in which the Coalition was denied the usual voter honeymoon. The small two-party lead will bring relief to nervous Coalition MPs as they eye a climbing jobless rate and worry that Canberra’s ‘‘principled’’ rejection of Qantas and other requests for so-called ‘‘corporate welfare’’ may have caused a backlash.

Mr Abbott also enjoys a solid 5-point lead as preferred prime minister at 48 per cent (down 1) to Bill Shorten on 43. However, Mr Shorten can take comfort from the fact his rating is up 4 points.

He will also welcome the fact that when voters were asked where they would direct their second preference, the two-party-preferred split reversed, putting Labor 2 points up on the government at 51/49.

Mr Shorten’s approval rating as opposition leader remained at a net figure of zero with 42 per cent approving and 42 per cent disapproving of his performance. Mr Abbott returned a net rating of minus 4 with 45 per cent approving of his performance but 49 per cent disapproving.